in a house, a second-story room, bodies are laid out in a dirt bed where spores are cast. Potatoes will grow--we are waiting for them to germinate and sprout. I ask someone if the plants will feed on the bodies. The person says no. I say, "Oh, then the bodies will just serve as some kind of support for the vines."
This painting seems related to Place of Sprouting Corn, which also juxtaposes death and growth. I think it also reflects recent experience: I had just had the opportunity to draw cadavers at the anatomy lab at UCSF. It had been a very deep and moving experience.